That’s why when the Seahawks traded former first-round pick Joey Galloway to the Dallas Cowboys for an opening round pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, the deal appeared to favor Dallas.

Except Seattle used that pick to draft a player who would go on to become one of the top running backs in franchise history: Shaun Alexander.

A four-year back out of the University of Alabama, Alexander was an integral part of the Seahawks establishing themselves as THE team in the NFC West.

Seattle made the playoffs for five-straight years, including four division titles, from 2003 to 2007, and Shaun Alexander was a huge part of it. He was the team’s workhorse, with over 1,500 carries and 6,600 yards rushing in those five seasons.

The 2005 season alone would put Alexander in the top-5 of Seahawks all time draft picks. For the team, a 13-3 regular season ultimately led to a conference championship and Seattle’s first ever appearance in the Super Bowl. Alexander carried the ball 370 times for 1,880 yards and 28 touchdowns, a new league record. He was named NFL Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year

To this day, Alexander holds 19 franchise records, and is the only Seahawk to ever be named league MVP. He is also featured on the 2000 All-Decade team, one of just four running backs from 2000 to 2009 to be named to it.